2. Reduced Stress and Anxiety
L-theanine has been found to increase the amount of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)—your brain’s main inhibitory neurotransmitter (2).
GABA’s main job is to block certain signals in your central nervous system and slow down your brain’s electrical activity. Which, in turn, helps to reduce feelings of anxiousness.
Some research indicates that in certain situations, L-theanine may also reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your system (3). When cortisol levels are high, your body is essentially ringing alarm bells. Your heart rate and blood pressure increase, and your brain becomes hyper-alert. In short, you enter “fight or flight” mode.
Cortisol’s effects can be useful in moments of true danger, but when you experience a cortisol spike in everyday life, it’s hard to channel that energy into something beneficial. Long-term increased cortisol (i.e. chronic stress) is associated with numerous health issues, like high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and gut issues (4). Thus, reducing its presence in your life is an ideal move for long-term health.
In addition to decreasing cortisol, L-theanine has been found to soothe other stress responses, too, including lowering your resting heart rate (5). This adds to the equation to create an even calmer mood.
L-theanine’s stress relieving benefits may be particularly powerful in times when you’re under pressure (and thankfully, that’s when you need them most). In a review of five randomized trials, four trials indicated a connection between L-theanine and lower stress and anxiety during high-pressure situations (6).
All in all, supplementing with L-theanine is an effective way to slow down those racing thoughts so you can finally find some peace inside your own head.
